Protector of Dragons
by LittleSpringroll
Summary: Gao Mikado has a mysterious mid-night encounter with Tasuku, a boy who is running from the police. Later, they meet again and Gao figures out that the police are chasing Tasuku because they believe Jack, Tasuku's dragon friend, is dangerous. After a series of strange events, Gao becomes friends with a dragon named Drum. (AU with no buddyfights)
1. A Mysterious Encounter

Originally, I wasn't going to post this yet, but since our group progress with Kiri the Novel has been kinda slow, I figured it would be okay to start this fic. Have fun reading :)

* * *

 **Chapter 1/** _A Mysterious Encounter_

A blanket of darkness covered the city. Even the glow of the streetlights was dim in the thick fog. And it didn't help that tonight was the new moon. Gao Mikado, who normally stayed awake to view the lights outside, sighed and closed his window.

He laid in the darkness for a good fifteen minutes. Unable to fall asleep, he mindlessly drew circles in his sheets with a finger.

That was when he heard a tap on his window.

And then another.

Whoever - or whatever - began to tap more frantically. Concerned, Gao pulled back the curtain.

 _No one?_

Gao opened the window and surveyed the outside. Suddenly, someone floated down from directly above and zoomed forward, knocking Gao flat on his back.

"W-whoa!" Gao pushed himself up into a sitting position. "What was that?"

A boy about his age had just finished slamming the window down and was reaching for the curtain.

"Hey, wait a moment!" yelled Gao. He jumped to his feet and grabbed the stranger's wrist, bending it at an awkward angle. "What do you think you're doing?"

The boy winced. "Shh! They're after me!"

"Who?" Gao demanded.

"They want to take Jackknife Dragon," the boy replied. He held up what seemed to be a playing card.

Gao relaxed his grip slightly, but stayed on guard. "That doesn't answer my question."

The other boy glanced toward the window. He paused for a moment as if he were debating whether to answer or not. Finally, he spoke. "The police."

Gao blinked. "The...police?" It took a while for the information to register in his mind. _Then this boy is...a criminal?!_

The boy pulled away from Gao's hold on his arm and turned back to the window. "They should be gone by now."

Gao thought quickly. If he let the boy leave, all this strangeness would be over, but then he would be letting a criminal go free...

"Wait," he said. "Why don't you stay overnight?"

The other boy turned to him, surprised.

Gao searched for words to say. "They, I mean, they might still be nearby." He knew his response was a bit too quick, but all that mattered was that the boy would stay. He could call the police in the morning.

The other boy relaxed. "Thank you."

"You can sleep on the floor," Gao added, pulling a sheet off his bed and tossing it to the boy. He climbed back into his bed, pulled the covers over himself, and rolled to the side to keep an eye on the boy.

The boy yawned and curled up on the ground under the sheet. Gao waited a while, just to be careful, before letting himself drift off to sleep.

* * *

Gao woke up to the sound of birds chirping. He slowly opened his eyes. Turning his head to the right, he saw light filtering through the curtain in front of the window.

 _Was it...all a dream?_

He climbed out of bed and stretched. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a sheet on the ground, crumpled as if it had been thoughtlessly discarded. Gao froze. If the sheet was there, then it actually happened, and–

 _The boy was gone._

Gao rushed to the window, drew back the curtain, and opened it hurriedly. He was about to call out a name, but then he realized he had never asked for the boy's name. He mentally kicked himself; that would have been a good thing to know about a possible criminal, especially since the low light had made it hard to gather more than an impression of his appearance.

That was when Gao realized something. How had the boy entered through the window? He hadn't been climbing, had he? But there was no other way. Unless...he had been _flying._

Gao shook his head. What was he thinking? No one could fly. This was real life, not fantasy. Maybe it really was just a dream...

Just then, the door flew open and Gao's younger sister burst into the room. "Gao! Time for breakfast!" she sang out.

Gao smiled. "I'll be down in a minute, Hanako."

* * *

After breakfast, a few of Gao's friends showed up at the door.

"Hey, bro!" Baku greeted him.

Noboru brushed his striped blond hair out of his face. "We were planning to head out to the park today. Want to come?"

Gao nodded. "Sure! Race you guys there!"

The boys took off at top speed toward the park, with Kuguru trailing behind them at a slower pace.

"I win!" cheered Gao. He stopped to catch his breath.

Baku skidded to a halt nearby. "So close."

"I would have won, if I didn't have to tie my shoe," Noboru added.

"It looks like you guys are in the mood to run," Kuguru commented as she joined them at the entrance. "Maybe we should play tag."

"Sure," Gao agreed.

Baku gave Kuguru a little push. "You're it!"

"Wait, me?" the girl asked, surprised.

"Run!" called Noboru, taking off down the path to the right. Baku and Gao both followed him.

After a while, the boys stopped to rest.

Baku looked back. "Where's Kuguru?"

"She can't be _that_ far back," Noboru put in. "Unless she didn't follow us at all..."

Suddenly, they heard footsteps from behind them.

"Tag!" Kuguru said triumphantly. "You're it, Noboru!"

"How did you–" Baku started.

"I went around a different way, of course," Kuguru explained. "The map shows that the two paths are connected."

Luckily for them, Noboru was focused on chasing Gao. Knowing that Noboru was a bit faster than he was, Gao tried to think up a strategy. _Maybe I can lose him if I make a lot of turns,_ he thought. _That's it! I'll make a fake turn!_ He ran toward the right side of the intersection. At the last moment, he swerved to the left and charged down the path.

"Whoa!" Noboru panted, screeching to a halt on the right-hand path. He made a quick turnaround and rushed after Gao, but Gao had already made the next turn. Since he didn't know which path Gao had chosen, Noboru headed back to catch one of the other two friends.

Gao glanced back, seeing that Noboru was nowhere to be seen, and grinned. _There! I think I lost him!_

As he ran on, Gao took random twists and turns, and soon he realized that he could no longer hear the sounds of his friends running or shouting. He slowed down and looked around him for a way to get back. It would have been a good idea to bring a map.

Suddenly, something caught his attention. Something was glowing brightly in the middle of the trees. Curious, Gao headed toward it. What he saw made him gasp in shock.

The boy he had met last night was standing there, and he was next to a large green dragon.


	2. Dragons?

Thank you all so much for your feedback! I really wasn't expecting it, so it was a nice surprise. Also, expect lots of takoyaki in this story, because it's funny ^^

* * *

 **Chapter 2/** _Dragons?_

 _A_... _dragon!?_ Gao opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. _But...how?_ He frantically blinked his eyes and even gave himself a pinch, but the dragon was still there. Helplessly, he stared in shock.

The boy was scanning the area now. Gao reflexively tried to hide behind a tree, but he wasn't quick enough. The boy's eyes widened when he caught sight of Gao. He held up a card, and there was a bright flash of light. Gao squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, the dragon had disappeared, and the boy was running off through the trees.

"Hey! Get back here!" Gao shouted. He sped toward the boy, but tripped on a rock and fell. He put out his hands to break the fall.

"Gao! Are you okay?" Baku was running toward him, Noboru and Kuguru close behind.

Gao stood. "Yeah, I'm alright." He glanced back, but the boy was already gone.

Kuguru looked worried. "What happened? I thought I heard you calling to someone a moment ago."

"Ah, well, I thought I saw someone I, um, recognized," Gao replied, unsure of what to say. He wasn't sure whether to believe what he saw or not. It had seemed pretty real when it happened, but now, he wondered how it could ever be true.

"If you say so..." Noboru trailed off. "Hey, what's that smell?"

A familiar scent wafted through the air. Baku's face lit up. "Octopus dumplings! Let's go get some!"

"You never could turn down food," Kuguru sighed, following Baku as he sprinted away.

Gao was reluctant to leave the area. It was all so strange, and part of him wanted to find out more about what was going on. He took one last look at the empty space where the dragon had been and hurried off to the snack stand.

* * *

In the afternoon, Gao took a bit of a rest in his backyard. Hanako soon joined him in lying down in the grass.

She pointed at a large cloud. "What do you think that one is?"

"That one looks like...a rice ball," Gao suggested.

She giggled. " _I_ think it looks like your head."

"My head?"

"See, it has spiky edges! Like your hair!"

Gao gave her a funny look and then pointed at another cloud. "How about that one?"

Hanako thought hard. "That looks like..." Her eyes lit up. "That looks like a dragon!"

Gao blinked in surprise. _Dragon?_ "No it doesn't."

"Yes it does!"

"Does not."

"Does too." Hanako sat up. "I'm getting bored of this game. Let's play something else. Like I Spy."

Gao sat up, too. "Sure," he agreed.

"I'll choose something first," declared Hanako. She looked around for something. "I spy, with my little eye...something blue!"

"The sky?" Gao guessed.

"No."

"That bird?"

"No, and it hadn't landed there when we started."

Finally, Gao looked down at the dark blue Sun Fighter jacket that he always wore. "My jacket."

"Yup! Your turn!"

Gao searched for an object or creature to choose. "I spy something gray."

Hanako followed his gaze straight to the rock he had selected. "That rock!" she announced confidently.

"You got it," Gao confirmed sheepishly.

Hanako nodded. After a moment, she had decided what to pick. "I spy...something orange!"

 _Something orange?_ "The sun?" wondered Gao.

"No."

"The sun on my shirt?"

"I would have told you you were close if that was the answer."

"Your hair."

"My hair isn't orange!"

"I give up."

A big smile spread across Hanako's face. "It's that dragon over there!"

Gao frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Over there! Over there!" Hanako squealed, pointing toward a clump of trees.

When he squinted, Gao could make out a small bit of orange near a tree.

Hanako jumped to her feet and ran toward the tree, waving her arms. "Don't leave! We're really really friendly!" she called out excitedly.

"Hanako, what are you doing?" Gao rushed after her.

A strange, small, dragon-like creature bounced toward them. It stopped and lifted its nose, sniffing the air. "Do I smell octopus dumplings?"

Hanako grinned at it. "Yeah! Gao brought home a bunch from the park today. But my grandmother makes the best ones."

Gao stared at the creature, his brow furrowing. "What is _that_?"

The creature looked offended. "Don't you mean _who are you_? I'm Fang Slade Terrestrial XIV, son of Drum Bunker Dragon Fang Slade Terrestrial XIII!"

Hanako giggled and reached out her hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet you, Fang Slave something or whatever! I'm Hanako."

The creature sweatdropped, but shook her hand with its claw-like hand. "I guess you could just call me Drum."

"What I meant to ask is what sort of thing you are," Gao attempted to explain. "You're definitely not human."

Drum straightened up proudly. "I'm a dragon!"

"See, I told you, Gao. A dragon!" said Hanako.

"But dragons don't exist," Gao protested, even though the creature standing before him obviously existed. He was about to add that Drum was much too small to be a dragon, but some part of him didn't want to offend him.

"Of course we exist!" exclaimed Drum. "What, can you humans not see what's right in front of you?"

"I–" Gao started, but Hanako cut him off. "Drum, do you wanna eat some octopus dumplings?" she asked.

"Of course I do," Drum replied. When he saw the snacks in the container, he wasted no time grabbing a clawful and stuffing as many as possible into his mouth. "I'm always up for these!"

Gao watched, still slightly confused. _This is the weirdest day of my life..._


	3. Fly Away

I decided Gao wouldn't have a martial arts background, since I wanted him to have to get saved instead of actually being able to fight. Hopefully that doesn't create too many problems with his character...

* * *

 **Chapter 3/** _Fly Away_

"I've gotta run this errand for mom," Gao told his little sister. "So make sure whatever you and Drum do, you stay in the house, okay?"

"Sure!" Hanako replied, giving Gao a big, sweet smile.

At first, Gao's parents were shocked when they saw Drum. However, they soon warmed up to him. Even though no one was quite sure what sort of creature Drum was, Gao's parents had been okay with the siblings keeping him since he appeared docile and well-mannered in his interactions with them, as long as he was closely supervised.

Gao stepped out the door with a reusable shopping bag in his hand and a bag filled with his grandmother's octopus dumplings slung over his shoulder. "Bye!" He closed the door behind him and headed off to the store.

Hanako hummed a tune happily as she dug a few pieces of clothing out of her dress-up box. She glanced at Drum again. He was literally just the right size for her modified pink wagon.

* * *

It took longer than Gao expected to find the items on the grocery list. And on top of that, a few of the goods had to be bought at a different store (though it was only a short walk). He took a couple of breaks to snack on octopus dumplings.

He was in the middle of walking to the second store when a familiar voice piped up, "So what are we planning to buy here?"

Gao whipped around, shocked to see the orange creature behind him. "Drum!" he hissed. "What are you _doing_ here?"

"Following you, obviously," the mini dragon-like animal replied. "It was easy to find you since I knew you took those octopus dumplings."

Gao glared at him. "No, I mean _why_ are you here. I told you to stay home with Hanako!"

Drum glared back. "I _was_ home, until your sister tried to dress me up in a bonnet and put me in what she called a baby carriage. And when I told her I didn't want to, she put me in the bathtub." He sighed, remembering the misfortune he had suffered at the hands of Hanako. "It was really hard to get out, since I couldn't use my normal form in the house."

"...Normal form?"

"Yeah, I don't always look like this!" Drum replied.

Drum was immediately enveloped in light. When the light faded, instead of a mini dragon, a giant armored creature stood in front of Gao.

"Drum?!" Gao was shocked. He heard a few worried gasps around him. "Drum, go back to your mini form!" he yelled.

"Why?"

"Because! People will think–"

Just then, a tall man in a police uniform approached Drum. "Don't worry, I'll handle this," he addressed the crowd. "This creature is dangerous. We will take it away immediately. Everything is under control." One of the officers sprayed Drum with some sort of powder. A few other men seized Drum from behind and began tying a rope around him as Drum began to grow drowsy from the powder's effect.

 _Take it away?!_ "Hey, where are you taking him?" Gao demanded. He looked around. A crowd of spectators was starting to form, and a truck, presumably for transporting Drum, drove up.

"To somewhere where he can't cause any more harm," the officer told him. "Believe me, kid, you don't want to be near a creature like this one."

"He's not going to hurt anyone!" Gao yelled, putting the grocery bag down and racing toward the struggling dragon.

"Step aside right now!" the man shouted, attempting to hold the boy back. But Gao pushed him away and hurried to Drum's side.

"Hold on, buddy, I'll get you out of this mess," Gao called to Drum.

"So...sleepy..." Drum murmured.

Gao body-slammed into the man on one side, causing him to recoil just long enough for Gao to snatch the rope from his hands. Gao fumbled with the knot, trying to get it undone, but the man easily regained control of the rope.

Suddenly, a shout rang out from somewhere above them. "Time to release...the Future Force!"

The green dragon that Gao had seen in the forest a few days before descended into the fray. The boy who had been with the dragon was hovering in the sky using a pair of rocket boots and now held a sword in his hands. He rushed over to Gao and Drum, smacking the nearby man to the ground with the flat of his blade.

"Who are-" Gao began.

"There's no time for that. Dragon, can you transform to be smaller?" the boy asked.

Drum, almost asleep, managed to change into mini-form, just before the officers reached them.

"Tasuku Ryuenji. Of course _you'd_ be here," one of them growled.

The boy faced the officer, gripping his sword tightly. "I'll protect the dragons until the end."

In the midst of the commotion, Gao attempted to make a run for it. "Don't think you're going anywhere!" the tall man shouted. He grabbed Gao's ankle only to get a rocket boot in his face a moment later.

"Go!" shouted the boy, giving Gao a shove. Gao landed on the green dragon just as it zoomed into the air.

"Aaaa!" screamed Gao, frantically grabbing on to part of the dragon's armor as it flew away from the fight. Glancing back, Gao noticed the other boy's sword disappearing into thin air. The boy grabbed mini-Drum and launched upward after them.


	4. Buddies and Alliances

The last chapter was pretty short, so I figured I should post the next one, since it's done. :) So, uh...prepare for the story to get cliché?

* * *

 **Chapter 4/** _Buddies and Alliances_

After a while, the shouts faded away and they were flying in silence. Gao, now less worried about being chased, took a good look at the dragon he was riding on. The dragon's wings looked like sails and they flapped in a powerful motion.

Then, Gao turned his attention to the boy with the rocket boots who was currently flying beside him. The boy had red eyes that reminded Gao of rubies, and his silky long blue hair – how hadn't he noticed its length when they met before? – flowed in a waterfall behind him.

The boy turned his head slightly and met Gao's gaze for a brief second before he turned to face forward again. "Is something wrong? You're staring..." Then he seemed to realize something. "Oh! Um, it's a long story," he said, twisting a lock of his hair.

Gao wasn't exactly sure what he meant, but this boy definitely had a lot of explaining to do. But where to start?

"...What's your name?" he questioned. "I didn't catch it back there."

"Tasuku."

"I'm Gao."

The awkward silence began again, although Gao wasn't sure whether the silence or the conversation had been more awkward. He watched as they soared over the trees of a forest and up toward a range of mountains.

"There." Tasuku finally broke the silence. "That's a place Jack and I found where we can be safe." He pointed to a cave in the mountainside up ahead. The dragon that Gao was riding on nodded its large head.

They landed on the ledge directly outside the cave. Gao tried to slide off the dragon smoothly, but had no idea how to dismount such a large creature and ended up on his back on the hard ground.

"Are you alright?" asked Tasuku. He carefully set Drum down on a patch of moss.

Gao got to his feet quickly. "I'm fine." He looked back at the green dragon he'd just been on, who was currently swinging its tail back and forth. "Does this dragon...belong to you?"

"Tasuku and I have bonded with each other," the creature spoke in a deep voice.

Gao jumped. "It _talks?_ "

"He," Tasuku corrected. "His name is Jack."

 _Drum talks, and he's a dragon_ , Gao reminded himself. _It's not that weird._ Of course, up until now, Gao hadn't been thinking of Drum as a dragon.

"Uh...thank you for saving us," Gao tried. _That sounded a lot better in my head,_ he thought, grimacing.

"Um, yeah," Tasuku replied, looking a bit flustered.

Gao, not knowing what to do, paced back and forth, lay his shoulder bag down on the ground, and fingered his signature jacket, hoping that something would spark a conversation. When no one else spoke, he searched for a topic. "So, how did you meet him...I mean Jack? And how come the police found you out?"

Tasuku stood in silence for a while. "Well, I sort of worked for the police," he finally said.

"Huh?" Gao responded, shocked. "But then...?"

Tasuku turned away, looking out over the cliff. "The police were recruiting kids with a talent to work with dragons...kids who the dragons would never suspect, kids who wouldn't suspect anything..." he closed his eyes. "And they were right. I trusted them easily. I _didn't_ suspect anything. Until the dragons started coming to us hurt, silent...some even disappeared. I realized that whatever was being done to them, it wasn't good. One night, I slipped into the room where they kept Jackknife Dragon – he was my favorite – and talked to him. That was when I found out he could speak."

"He never talked to you before?"

"No. He didn't want to seem different than the other dragons. But through our nightly meetings, I learned that he was part of an organization of dragons, working to protect the world from a great threat."

Gao glanced around. "What sort of threat?"

Tasuku glanced back at Jack. "Not much is known. But the threat is so great that dragons alone can't stop it. Dragons and humans have to work together. So dragons in the organization, like Jack, were searching for humans to bond with."

"And so you and Jack bonded and tried to escape?" Gao guessed.

"Sort of," Tasuku answered. "The plan was to free the other dragons who were trapped there, but we ended up getting caught in the act."

"Which is why you hid in my room," Gao realized.

Tasuku nodded.

 _Hiding from the police..._ Suddenly, Gao remembered something important. "Tasuku! What do I do? I have to get home somehow!"

"You can't just go home. Everyone in the police will be after you!"

"I know, but...my parents! And Hanako!"

Tasuku bit his lip. "I'm sorry, but there's no way. Besides, if you're found by the police, your family will end up getting involved in this, too."

Gao looked down at the ground. "You're right...I can't put them in danger," he said softly.

The green dragon nudged Tasuku. "We need to alert the Dragonic Force of these events."

Tasuku nodded. "Right." He paused, then turned to Gao. "Stay put. You should be safe here."

"Shouldn't we stick together?" Gao inquired. "I mean, we're sorta working together, right?"

Tasuku looked away. "Jack and I don't work with anyone."

"But you're helping us," Gao pointed out.

"That's because any dragons and humans who've bonded will help further our cause. This is at most an alliance."

"An...alliance?"

"Yes. We're only associated because we're working for the same cause. We are _not_ 'working together'," explained Tasuku.

"But–" Gao started, but stopped himself when he saw that Tasuku and Jackknife Dragon were already taking to the air.

"Don't go anywhere," Tasuku warned. He and Jack disappeared into the distance.

Gao stared for a while. Just then, he remembered Drum. He hurried over to where Tasuku had put Drum. "Drum! Are you awake?"

Drum sat up. "I've been awake for a while, actually. That sleep powder doesn't last forever, you know!" He gave Gao a big smile.

Gao grinned. "I'm so glad you're okay! Here, tell me how much you heard. I'll fill you in on anything you missed."

"I heard the whole story," Drum replied. "I woke up when that boy was talking about the police, but I, uh, didn't want to interrupt you."

"You? You wouldn't interrupt?" Gao smiled and motioned toward the open box of treats on the ground. "Are you _sure_ it had nothing to do with those snacks you found in my bag?"

"Well, I guess it might have _something_ to do with it," Drum admitted.

"I'll have some, if there's any left. Although, now that I think about it, we should probably save some for the boy and his dragon." Gao sat down. "I don't know what to think of that boy anymore," he sighed.

"Whaddaya mean, kid?" asked Drum.

"Well, before I didn't trust him, because he was running from the police," Gao mused. "But now... _we're_ running from the police. I guess I just know what it's like to be in his shoes, you know?"

Drum's eyes went wide. "You have rocket boots, too?"

"No, I meant...never mind." Gao scooted over closer to Drum. "So what do _you_ think about Tasuku?"

"Tasuku?"

"That's the boy's name," Gao answered. "Anyways, do you trust him?"

Drum considered this. "I'd say yes; he's buddies with a dragon. We dragons don't just choose any old person, you know."

Gao contemplated his response. "So why did you choose me?"

Drum seemed thoughtful. "You had octopus dumplings," he answered, popping another one into his mouth.


	5. Down the Mountain

I feel like nothing is really happening in this story, but how to come up with a plot...

* * *

 **Chapter 5/** _Down the Mountain_

Gao and Drum waited on the mountain for about an hour. Despite Gao's noble intention to save some food for the other duo, he and Drum ended up eating all of the snacks. Gao counted the number of trees he could see from the rock platform (he gave up after a while), went back to the snack bag to look for any crumbs (Drum had already finished them up), and sat down on the ground with his back to a wall of the cave.

"So what should we do, Drum?" he wondered.

"I don't know. It doesn't seem like those guys are coming back anytime soon," Drum replied. "Can't we go somewhere? At least get off this mountain?"

Gao shrugged. "I guess it wouldn't do any harm to wander around a little."

"This place is so boring. But I guess it's better than getting held captive by the police," Drum added.

Suddenly, Gao realized something. "Drum! What if we go and rescue those other dragons? You know, the ones who were already caught by the police."

"Are you crazy? We'll get captured!"

"But we have to at least _try_ , right?"

"Well, it would be more fun than waiting here."

Gao took a step toward the edge of the ledge and peered down. "How are we going to get down? I mean, you can't really carry me when you're like this, and it'd be really hard to steer clear from the trees if you turn into that big form."

"Maybe you could jump."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Well then, is there a road down from here?"

"I don't think so." Gao scanned the area around the cave. "At least, not that I can see."

"Okay. So why don't you just climb down?" Drum suggested.

"Easy for you to say," sighed Gao. "You're just going to fly. It's harder to climb down a rock wall than you think, especially when it slants in like this one."

"Wait - what was that noise?" Drum demanded. "Did you hear a hissing sound?"

"Aww, it was just the wind moving through the branches over there," Gao replied.

"No, it sounded like a snake or something," Drum insisted.

"You're just jumpy because you're out on a mountain," Gao retorted. "I don't think snakes could live up here. Besides, why would a dragon like you be afraid of a snake?"

Drum ignored Gao's query, his eyes darting to and fro, until he spotted a coiled lump about twenty feet away, tucked just next to a pile of rocks. "Well, what do you think it is?"

Gao's gaze followed Drum's. "I think it's a hose."

Drum snorted, "What would a hose be doing up here on an uninhabited mountain?"

Gao shrugged. "I dunno. Let's go investigate."

Drum shook his head and hung back as Gao headed towards the tan colored coils. "I'm telling you - be careful - it could be a snake!"

Gao's response was to pick up a nearby branch to brandish as he moved closer to the snake-hose. Drum, reluctant to let his new buddy venture towards danger alone, hesitantly lumbered in that direction.

When he was about 5 feet away, Gao suddenly dropped the stick and stood straight. Drum rushed towards him worriedly only to find as he drew close that Gao was grinning from ear to ear. "What's so funny?" Drum demanded.

"I can't believe you were afraid of this...rope!" Gao laughed. Just then he stopped abruptly as the significance of his own words sunk in. "Hey! It's a rope! It's just what we need to get down from this mountain!"

"Well it looked like a snake," Drum grumbled. "So, what're we gonna do with the rope?"

Gao shrugged. "I figured I could tie it to something up here, to anchor it so I could lower myself down. But I don't really see any place to tie it..."

Drum thought for a little while before suggesting, "How about you climb down, but I hold the rope so you can grab on in case you slip?"

"It sounds tricky, but I can't think of anything better..." replied Gao. "Let's try it."

Once that decision was made, Drum picked up the rope and took to the air. Gao watched as Drum flew over to the edge and stationed himself behind a rock.

"Ready to go?" asked Drum.

Gao hesitated. "Well, I guess..."

"Don't worry! If you fall, I'll be holding the rope so you won't fall far!"

Tentatively, Gao stepped toward the edge. He felt a little queasy as he looked down. He breathed in and out slowly before turning to face the cave, putting his hands on the ground, and sliding off the ledge, catching himself with his hands. Now, hanging precariously from the ledge, he tried not to think too much about his position as he maneuvered to get his feet onto the rocks for support.

"Uh, Drum?"

"What?"

"Do you...see any good places for me to move my hands?"

"Try that rock over to the left. The one that's about the size of a baseball."

Gao stretched out his hand carefully, barely reaching the handhold. But when he tried to move other hand to match, he felt his feet slipping off the slanted platforms. He drew a sharp breath. Concentrating hard, he scrambled to grab another handhold. Unfortunately, he couldn't get a good grip.

"Grab the rope!" shouted Drum.

 _Right! The rope._ Gao desperately grabbed the rope with both hands, trusting that Drum's mini wings could hold both their weights for a few seconds.

However, he felt himself instantly drop.

"Aaaa!" he yelped. He could hear Drum screaming above him, too. He squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the impact...

"Oomph!" grunted an unfamiliar voice.

Gao's eyes flew open. "Huh? Who's that?" He rolled to the side from where he had landed and jumped to his feet. Apparently, he had landed on a large golden dragon. Drum was sprawled out on the ground nearby, obviously dazed by the crash.

The dragon started pounding the ground and shouting things in an angry-sounding voice. Gao started to notice the way its fangs glinted in the sunlight.

"Umm...Drum, what's he trying to say?" Gao asked, backing up slowly.

The dragon roared and breathed out a stream of fire.

"Yikes!" Gao ducked, barely avoiding the dragon's flames. "Quick, Drum! Tell him to calm down, that we didn't mean it–"

"Actually, I don't know his language," Drum replied sheepishly.

"What? Seriously?"

"Yeah, we don't all speak the same language..."

Gao thought quickly. "Then...I think we should..."

"RUN!" Drum finished for him, and they took off down the steep slope.


	6. Exotic Cat

Chapter 6, in which Drum is apparently a komodo dragon because I wanted a scientific name. Lol.

* * *

 **Chapter 6/** _Exotic Cat_

Gao ran and ran and didn't look back until he could no longer hear crashing sounds nearby.

"He's gone, right?" Drum asked.

"Seems like it," Gao panted.

A loud roar came from behind them.

Gao gulped. "I think I spoke too soon."

As the dragon continued roaring and stomping toward him, Gao ran off again, in no particular direction besides away from the dragon. Just when he thought he was getting away, he tripped on the rope he was carrying. Suddenly, he was rolling down the slope.

"Gao, are you okay?" Drum shouted.

"Nooo!" Gao shouted back as he bumped down the side of the mountain.

Luckily, Gao's rolling speed was fast enough that the dragon gave up and returned to somewhere on the top of the mountain.

Gao finally came to a halt at the edge of a lake. He laid on his back, taking in big gulps of air.

Drum landed next to him. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," Gao replied, sitting up. "Just need a little break. Where do we have to go next?"

Drum flew up into the sky and looked around. He pointed at the cliff directly across the lake. "There."

* * *

It was unfair that Drum could fly. The dragon easily gilded over the lake and onto the top of the cliff at the other side. Meanwhile, Gao was stuck trying to swing across with the rope.

"3, 2, 1..." Gao counted down, shuffling toward the edge of the branch, "Go!" He squeezed his eyes shut and jumped off.

There was a frightening rush of wind as he first plummeted toward the water – Gao bit back a yelp – then a jolt as the rope that he was gripping for dear life caught him in mid-air.

As he swung forward, Gao opened his eyes a crack to see the cliffside rushing toward him. "Eeeee!" he screeched. He kicked his foot forward just in time and bounced back toward the tree he'd come from.

"No, no, no!" Drum shouted. "You have to grab the edge of the cliff and climb up!"

"Which is _sooo_ easy to do!" Gao screamed sarcastically. He bounced off the cliff again. "How do I get down?!"

"Hang on. I'm coming to help." Drum flapped his wings and flew over to where the rope was tied to the tree branch. He sliced the rope with his claw, and Gao fell straight down into the lake with a splash.

Gao's head resurfaced a moment later. He coughed and shook his head from side to side, water droplets flying off his hair. " _Drum!_ " he yelled.

"What? I got you down, right?" Drum called back.

Gao sighed. This was going to be a lot harder than he'd thought.

* * *

They eventually agreed to go around the lake and the cliff, even though it took a long time. Gao was glad for this extra time, since he'd rather have dry clothes when at the police station. Drum's wings had quickly tired out from flying up and down to make sure they were going in the right direction, and he now dragged his feet across the ground.

"I'm hungry," Drum complained. "When are we going to get there?"

"I know, I could really use a snack. I really hope we're close."

Drum pointed to a clump of trees and squinted. "I think it's just through there!"

"Finally!" With a sudden burst of energy, Gao raced forward. When he reached the other side of the trees, he grinned. "We made it!"

"So, how are we gonna get inside?" Drum followed slowly.

"I don't know, I guess I figured they'd let us in."

"Sure, they'll let us in, but why would they let us see the room with the dragons? It's top secret. I doubt it's ever open to the public." Drum rolled his eyes. "I don't understand human logic."

"Hmm, maybe I'll go inside first. You can stay here while I try to find us a way around this," Gao said. He wandered into the building.

Gao examined the room. There was a man at a counter to his left and a few signs posted around the room. There was one hallway that was open to the public. When Gao looked behind the man, he saw that there was another door. _That must be the one we're looking for._

"Do you need any help, young man?"

Gao jumped. He saw that the man was staring at him. Quickly, he grabbed an idea from a sign he could see past the man. "Um, sir, I'm...trying to get a permit for an exotic pet."

"A pet?" the man asked. "Have you brought your pet with you?"

Gao gulped. "Yes, I left him outside, you know, I thought it would be better to..." he trailed off. "I'll go get him now."

When Gao stepped outside, Drum was nowhere to be seen. Cautiously, Gao walked to the left, noticing a small statue of a cat.

"There you are, Gao!" said the cat statue.

"Yikes!" Gao stared at the statue in fright.

The 'statue' took off the cat head and set it on the ground.

"Drum! You had me scared there!" Gao crouched down to be face-to-face with his buddy. "But now that I think about it, this is perfect!"

Drum scratched his head. "What's perfect?"

Gao was already heading back to the automatic sliding doors. "Put that head back on. If the guy at the counter tries to talk to you, just act like a cat."

Perplexed, Drum followed Gao inside.

"Excuse me, sir," Gao said as he entered, "I've brought my pet cat."

Drum tilted his head back so the man could view the cat face. The man at the counter peered at Drum through the thick glass of his spectacles. He squinted. "This is...a cat?"

"Meow?" Drum replied helpfully.

The man frowned. "What species of cat is _that_?"

Caught off guard, Gao looked to Drum for help.

" _Varanus komodoensis_ ," Drum whispered.

Having no idea what that meant, Gao turned to the man and repeated, " _Varanus komodoensis_ , sir _._ "

The man's brow furrowed. "Wait here for a moment, young man," he finally said. "I need to check with my supervisor." He opened the door and disappeared down the hallway behind it. The door slowly shut.

Gao hopped up onto the counter and then jumped down on the other side.

"Come on, Drum, let's follow him," he said quietly.

Drum flew the short distance over the counter. "What, do you think we could just walk in? Obviously they'd put in a lock."

Gao grasped the door handle and pulled. The door opened.

"I knew it was worth a try," said Gao.


	7. Sneaking Around

Most people took away important points from the last episode about the messing up of Sophia's character or the way buddyfight girls are treated this season, but all I got from it was..."Da! Da! Da!" :D (What I mean is, don't expect serious writing from me ^^;)

* * *

 **Chapter 7/** _Sneaking Around_

"So, what do you plan to do now, kid?" asked Drum.

"Shh," whispered Gao. "I don't know. Can you sense where the other dragons are?"

"Why would I be able to do that?" Drum grumbled. "You can't sense where other humans are, can you?"

"True," Gao admitted. "I guess you can't believe everything you see in movies."

Drum wandered down the hallway. "So, we're just going to explore and hope we find something?"

Gao scratched his head. "Well, I thought since it was a secret room, it would be on the lowest floor, like in the...movies." He stopped, realizing he'd just contradicted himself.

"Yeah. The movies that can't be believed," muttered Drum.

"Well, do _you_ have a better idea?" Gao frowned at him. "We have to start from somewhere."

"I guess so."

The two infiltrators found the staircase and descended to the lowest floor.

"It's dark in here," said Drum.

"Maybe the room _is_ actually down here," added Gao. "It seems a lot more secret down here than up there."

He walked down the hallway, making sure to peek in every room through the window. When he was about halfway across, he heard Drum whisper, "Pst, over here. Doesn't this seem suspicious?"

Gao jogged over to the door that Drum was pointing to with one claw. This door was different than the ones he had been looking at. It was the same color and size, but this one had no window in it.

"It does look a little...strange," Gao agreed. He tried to peek in the crack between the door and the wall. "Drum!" he whispered loudly.

"What?"

"I can see them! Dragons!"

"Huh? They're there?"

Gao nodded. "I can only see a few, but chances are, there's more of the them in that room."

"So what now?"

"I guess we try to open it and hope that someone forgot to lock it." Gao tried to open the door.

That was where his luck ran out.

A light on the wall started blinking brightly as a loud alarm started blaring.

Gao's feet seemed rooted the ground, momentarily paralyzed by the sudden cacophony, but Drum's creature instincts kicked in and he took off down the hallway, away from the strobe lights. The sight of the fleeing dragon startled Gao into action and he sprinted after him, catching up to Drum just as he reached a door at the end of the hallway.

"EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY. PUSH HERE. ALARM WILL SOUND." Gao hastily skimmed the lettering on the red lever. It only took an instant for him to make up his mind.

"Definitely an emergency," declared Gao, as he gasped for breath.

"And the alarm is already sounding," Drum pointed out as Gao seized the lever.

The door gave way and the pair found themselves in a dark stairwell as the door clanged shut behind them. A series of soft green lights illuminated the staircase which led up and away from where they had come. Gao's hand somehow found a handrail and he tugged at Drum. "This way!" he hissed. The pair ran up staircase after staircase as quickly as they could, trying hard not to make too much noise on the metal steps. Panting and sweating heavily they stopped to catch their breath on one of the landings in front of another metal door. That's when they heard footsteps echoing in the stairwell. Footsteps that were definitely _not_ theirs (since they were standing still).

Drum leaned against the door, "We're doomed," he groaned.

Gao pushed him aside, "Not if this door opens!" he muttered in a half-whisper.

"Yeah, well good lu..." Drum started to say, but too his amazement, the metal door swung opened to Gao's desperate tug. The duo ran into a carpeted hallway as the door banged shut behind them.

There was only one way to run - away from the stairwell - so they both took off quickly; their pursuers would come through the door at any moment. Gao felt a surge of hope as he saw what he thought was a window at the end of the hallway, but when they reached it, he saw that it was only a painting. They would have to turn left or right.

"This way!" Gao instinctively headed left.

"No, _this_ way!" Drum's instincts told him to head right.

Gao skidded to a stop and did an about face to follow his buddy. Drum turned right again and at the next "T" swung to the left. Gao stayed close behind him, grateful for Drum's apparent directional sense.

They rounded the next corner and –

"The-the lunch room?" Gao spluttered. "Drum, that doesn't help!"

Especially since the many people in the room had already heard the alarm and were ready to catch them.

"Take this!" Drum yelled, taking off the cat head and throwing it at the nearest member of the police.

"A dragon!" someone shouted. "It's a dragon!"

Gao wildly looked around for a way to escape but there were officers closing in on him from all sides.

"There!" Drum shouted while pointing to a vent near the ground. "I bet we can escape through there, kid!" He ripped off the grating with his claw. "Let's go!"

Gao quickly crawled into the vent. It was very squishy, but he had to do it to get away. He grimaced as he felt dirt and bugs brush across his body. This was definitely not as heroic as it would have been in a movie.

Finally, Drum knocked off another vent cover. Gao tumbled out after Drum. He sprang to his feet but found himself temporarily blinded by the sunlight. As his eyes adjusted, he saw that police officers were running up the stairs. And he knew if they went back through the vent, they'd be caught on the other side. There was no other exit.

 _We're trapped!_


End file.
